History

Bolton Hotel has a long history of care and attention to detail.

Bolton Hotel was named after one of the first immigrant ships to arrive in New Zealand in the 1800s. Legend has it that one of the passengers, a young woman named Sophia Harris, brought a cutting of her favourite rose which she carefully nurtured by ingeniously planting it in a potato.
The rose cutting survived the long and hazardous journey and now the same species, the Harris Rose, can be enjoyed in the garden outside the hotel. Learn more about the Harris Rose.

The story of Sophia Harris inspires everything we do at the Bolton Hotel, using independent thought to nurture the things we care about; our guests.